A book in the middle of a big controversy in Florida is a common title available at public libraries across Iowa. It is also available at Waukee Northwest High School, Carlisle High School and Iowa City City High. Readers are encouraged to check their local school libraries to see if it is on the shelf.
The book is called “This Book Is Gay.”
In Florida, the book was discovered in a middle school library. We reviewed a copy of it at an Iowa library. We will be sharing excerpts from it over the next few days or so.
The book is shelved as a “young adult” book. The shelf is labeled as “teen.”
The book has been “updated” from its 2014 version. The author, a person now called “Juno” who used to be called James. The author said the book has “taken the world by storm.”
“It’s been translated into a dozen languages; it’s been banned in Alaska; it’s hit the headlines in the U.K.”
The book tells kids the point of “coming out” is to “have the FREEDOM to be who we are.”
“When did that stop being FUN?” it asks.
The LGBTQ+ club is the “hippest members club in town.”
Kids are told that just because LGBTQ’ers are in the minority, it doesn’t mean they aren’t normal.
“People with blue eyes are in the minority too, but we don’t think of them as abnormal, do we?” it asks.
Kids are told there are three options for people with same-sex “sexthoughts.” And basically ignoring those thoughts is option one.
“But I think these people are probably very sad and angry. I also think a lot of crazy homophobes are lingering perilously close to option one, and this is what makes them so hateful.”
Option two exists, which more people choose.
“You can totally have sex with people who are the same gender as you and not be “gay” or “lesbian” or “bi.”
Option three allows people to be “out and proud and open about their relationships or gender.”
“You have very little choice about your sexual preferences or gender, but only you get to define yourself. Living with stress and secrets is stressful.”
Kids are told “we all CONSIDER sex with both men and women.”
“Why wouldn’t we? We’re surrounded by sexy images in magazines and on TV. People who say they haven’t thought about it are probably liars. Therefore, it’s all about what we prefer sexually. We need to be open-minded at all times,” the book tells kids.
Sexual preference and gender are also fluid, kids are told — meaning they can feel one way now and another way later.
“In fact, when this book was first published, I was a gay man,” the author wrote. “Now I’m a trans woman! That’s just the way it goes, ain’t it.”
Kids are told the following about being “curious” or “questioning:”
“All young people should spend time thinking about desire. I think everyone would be a lot happier if they took a few weeks to dwell on what does it for them. It’d resolve a lot of tension and grief.”
Just like when it compared LGBTQ identities to people who have blue eyes, it compares things you might not think you’d like to food you might not think you’d like.
“I wouldn’t eat prawns until I was 18 — the mere idea of them freaked me out. But then I tried them and it turns out they’re DELISH.”
Transgender is defined as an umbrella term for all people who experiment with or move between genders.
Transsexual is a person who feels they were born into the wrong gender.
Transvestite is a cross-dresser who enjoys wearing clothes traditionally assigned to the opposite sex, mostly for fun.
And a drag queen/king is a “performance cross-dresser.”
“Advertisers would like us to believe that being female somehow feels different to being male, but we will never really know,” the book says.
“It sometimes seems bonkers to me to think that a dude would have to be ‘trans’ to put on a skirt or some heels,” the book continues. “Sadly, as most of the world is blind to how small-minded this is, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. For now.”
Mental gymnastics is required to follow the next part — that people choose separate identities for both gender and sexuality.
The author used to identify as a gay man, but is now a straight trans woman.
Kids are told LGBTQ+ people do not choose to be LGBTQ+, but “homophobes and transphobes” who are bigoted choose to hate.
The author writes that they hope they have “sold” the LGBTQ+ thing pretty well.
“I mean, it does sound brilliant, doesn’t it? You get to dress how you like and make out with whomever you want. It’s hip and trendy.”
We’ll release the next story tomorrow further showing portions of this book, which again, is shelved in a section for teens and housed at at least a few public high school libraries across Iowa.
The most obscene parts are yet to come.
List of Iowa public libraries “This Book Is Gay” is on the shelf:
Cambridge Memorial Library
Lied Public Library (Clarinda)
Cresco Public Library
Ames Public Library
Bettendorf Public Library
Bondurant Public Library
Kirkwood Community College
Coralville Public Library
Council Bluffs Public Library
Southwestern Community College
Davenport Public Library
Des Moines Public Library
Carnegie-Stout Public Library (Dubuque)
Ruth Suckow Memorial Library (Earlville)
Scott County Library System (Eldridge)
University of Iowa
Iowa City Public Library
Robert W. Barlow Memorial Library (Iowa Falls)
Marshalltown Public Library
Mason City Public Library
Newton Public Library
Osceola Public Library
Sheldon Public Library
Washington Free Public Library
Kendall Young Library (Webster City)
West Branch Public Library
West Des Moines Public Library
West Liberty Public Library
Winterset Public Library
Altoona Public Library (electronic resource)
Clive Public Library (electronic resource)
School libraries:
Waukee Northwest High School
Iowa City City High
Carlisle High School
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